'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Despite criticism that he has received from some quarters this season, many would argue that Unai Emery has done a good job as manager of Arsenal this season.
It was always going to take time for Emery to make his mark at the Emirates, after Arsene Wenger was in charge at the club for so long. The Frenchman held the top job at Arsenal for 22 years, and built the club very much in his image, and it was always going to take time for Emery to change that.
Despite a tough start, and limited transfer funds available to him, Emery has got the Gunners on the brink of a top four finish, as well as guiding them to a Europa League semi-final, where they will come up against Valencia.
Things haven’t always been simple for Emery however. Arsenal’s away form in particular has been woeful, and they have won just twice away from home in the Premier League since the turn of the year, and kept just one away clean sheet all season, away at ten-man Watford last week.
Emery will certainly want to strengthen his squad in the summer. He will be concerned by their defensive frailties, and will also need to replace Juventus-bound Aaron Ramsey in the centre of the park.
He may need to sell players to raise the funds though, and here are four players he should let leave the Emirates this summer.
#1 Carl Jenkinson
It’s almost a surprise that Jenkinson is still at Arsenal. The full back joined the club in 2011, but has never held down a place in the team, and has had three separate loan spells away from the Emirates, two with West Ham United, and one with Birmingham City.
He was a surprise inclusion in Arsenal’s XI for the 3-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday, making just his second league appearance of the season.
It is time now for Arsenal to let Jenkinson leave the club, as he clearly isn’t at the standard they need if they are to return to the Champions League. When he returns from injury, Hector Bellerin will undoubtedly be first choice right back, with Stephan Lichtsteiner acting as an experienced backup option, which will surely make Jenkinson surplus to requirements. After eight years with the North London club, the time has come for Jenkinson to be moved on.
#2 Shkodran Mustafi
This is one that the vast majority of Arsenal fans will agree with. Things looked promising for the Gunners when they signed Mustafi from Valencia in 2016. At £35 million, he may have been expensive, but he joined the club as a World Cup winner with Germany, and someone with experience of playing at the highest levels of European football.
Mustafi has been a regular in an Arsenal back four that has seen a lot of changes in the last couple of years, but he has never really looked convincing. He isn’t the leader that Arsenal fans have been crying out for ever since Patrick Vieira left the club, and he has been extremely error prone, with the most recent of which contributing to the loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Emery will be keen to build his side on a solid back four, and Mustafi isn’t capable of being a part of that, and it is time for Arsenal to cash in on the German.
#3 Mohamed Elneny
It has been a very quiet season for Mohamed Elneny, who hasn’t found himself in Unai Emery’s plans, and has appeared just six times in the Premier League. In fact, he has seen the majority of his action in cup competitions, including making seven appearances in the Europa League, although most of these appearances came in the group stage, where Emery was playing a heavily rotated side.
Elneny has appeared in the Premier League a couple of times in the last few weeks, but they haven’t exactly been successful, with his last two starts coming in defeats to Everton and Crystal Palace. Elneny isn’t as mobile as a number of the other players Arsenal have available to them in the centre of midfield, and he certainly isn’t as technically gifted.
Elneny may have hoped that he would get the chance to replace the outgoing Aaron Ramsey, but the Egyptian isn’t the quality of player Arsenal will want in midfield.
#4 Mesut Ozil
This is one that will divide Arsenal fans, because there are very few players in English football who divide opinion quite like Ozil. There is no doubt that the German has a lot of quality, and is probably one of the most talented players in the Premier League. This was shown in the 2015/16 season, his best in English football, when he provided an impressive 19 assists in the Premier League, as Arsenal finished second behind shock champions Leicester City.
However, the one thing that has always been held against Ozil is his work rate and desire. What Emery has built at Arsenal is a hard working, energetic side, and Ozil just doesn’t fit those requirements. This is clearly something in Emery’s mind, as he has constantly left the 30-year-old out of his side in big games. If Emery doesn’t trust Ozil, then he should sell him, at least to get him off the wage bill, and reinvest that money in the squad.
